The present invention relates to a method for making wearable articles, more particularly to a method for making disposable diaper or disposable diaper cover and especially to a method for incorporation of elastic members to obtain a desired fitness around wearer's legs.
There has already been available the disposable diaper which is provided in opposite side flaps thereof with the elastic members serving to provide a fitness around wearer's legs. In the diaper of this type commonly used in practice, said elastic members usually disposed on opposite sides of the diaper in parallel relationship to each other. To improve said fitness of the diaper around the wearer'legs, it is desired that a distance between the opposite elastic members should be wider in the rear area than in the front area. The diaper constructed to satisfy such requirement is also well known. Furthermore, the diaper of so-called turn-up type has also been used in practice, in which the opposite side flaps provided with the associated elastic members are folded inwardly, then the side flaps are joined at middle portions of their lengths to the upper surface of the topsheet within the area covering the absorbent core so that the opposite elastic members diverge from said joined portions towards the front and rear side of the diaper.
For the diaper of such type which should be mass-produced at a cost as low as possible in view of a commercial competition, it is difficult to establish an economical manufacturing process permitting the distance between the opposite elastic members to be gradually varied. Usually, various components of the diaper and the elastic members are continually fed along the production line of the diaper while said elastic members are fastened to said components with use of adhesive and it is difficult to change the movement direction of said elastic members for each of the individual diapers in a particular unit zone thereof. Even if such difficulty were overcome, such attempt could not meet the requirements for high speed production and, in addition, would possibly cause various troubles. It is for this reason that, as has previously been described, the opposite elastic members for the diaper of such type have conventionally been disposed therein in parallel to each other.
Although said turn-up diaper is relatively easy to produce, the above-mentioned fitness still remains inadequate.
It is a principal object of this invention to provide an improved method for making said diaper allowing said opposite elastic members to be disposed so that the distance therebetween may be selectively varied.